A student housing company branded exploitative and shameful has performed a u-turn on rents.
Hello Student came under fire earlier this week when it emerged that, unlike other accommodation providers, it was continuing to charge St Andrews tenants who had been forced to vacate due to the coronavirus crisis.
Green MSP Mark Ruskell slammed the company’s “unjust” approach and demanded it think again.
Mr Ruskell has now welcomed the firm’s change of heart two days after the situation was highlighted by The Courier.
The announcement means any student who vacates their accommodation before April 25 will not be charged full rent until the end of the academic year.
Mr Ruskell said: “I welcome Hello Student’s altered position.
“Their original insistence on demanding full payments from students was clearly unjust in the face of this crisis.
“However, despite welcome improvements to their cancellation policy, the fixed deadline the company have set for tenants to move out could cause significant problems for some international students.
“I urge them to be flexible with students who find themselves victims of circumstance.
“The burden of this emergency must be fairly shared, and that means companies like Hello Student acting reasonably and compassionately towards their tenants.”
Hello Student said it had had to consider the welfare of hundreds of its employees as well as its residents.
A spokesperson said the company was providing safe accommodation for thousands of students during the lockdown but that it was “acutely aware” of the financial pressures residents were facing.
